Nature of Opposition to Economic Reforms in India

Many economists and columnists in the financial press are unaware how unpopular economic reforms are with the public. The supporters of reform and their critics take extreme positions on issues that are sufficiently important for us to engage our respective intelligent opposition in serious conversation. The Left claims the reforms are "anti-people", when in essence it is defending the interests of the small strata of the salaried. The supporters of reforms, on their part, offer less than reasoned arguments in support of privatisation and labour reform, and work themselves into a frenzy about wastage in anti-poverty programmes. Discussion on reform is preoccupied with issues of trade and fiscal policy and financial markets. Reform would have been more popular if it were equally concerned about the appalling governance structure in the delivery of basic social services for the poor.